When the third annual Les Voiles des Saint-Barth starts on April 2, there will be more that meets the eye than the simply beautiful panoramic views of the colorful French West Indies island that presents the event and the spectacular blue Caribbean ocean that surrounds it. Competitive sailors and, for that matter, local residents as well as visitors alike will have the opportunity to enjoy the unforgettable impressions left by the aesthetically unmatched designs of some of the world´s best yachts taking part as well as the passion of their owners.

Les Voiles des St.Barth Yacht Race 2011 Credit: Christophe Jouany/Les Voiles de St Barth

Among the 60+ entrants registered to date is what many call the world´s most famous yacht of all time: the 52 (15.8 metre) yawl Dorade. Purchased in 2010 by Matt Brooks (San Francisco, California), Dorade was designed by the late Olin Stephens and originally launched in 1930. She influenced nearly all developments in yacht design for the next three decades and was hugely successful in distance racing, taking overall victory in the 1931 Transatlantic race and the 1931 and 1933 Fastnet races, among others. Now, Brooks, who has spent the last year overseeing a refit and major restoration of Dorade, is utilizing Les Voiles de Saint-Barth as a platform for both yacht and crew preparation, with the goal of entering Dorade in her first major modern ocean race this summer: the Newport to Bermuda Race, in which she finished second in both 1930 and 1932.

“We are assembling and training a crew with the right skills, chemistry and experience to race Dorade and win,” said Brooks, who is a world champion in the 6-metre class as well as an accomplished mountain climber and world record-holding jet pilot. “We also are toughening up Dorade herself, readying her for the kind of long-range sailing she hasn’t seen in decades, keeping in mind that while she may be game, she is also an eighty year old lady.”

Sailing yacht Dorade Credit: Billy Black

Dorade will sail in the Classics division against such other standouts as the 18.2m Intel 60 yacht Kate, the 19.4m sailing yacht Cruinneag III, and the 20m Gran Shpountz 65 Marie Des Isles. Among Dorades crew will be John Burnham, an IOD World Champion and Shields Class National Champion; legendary Bermudian sailor Buddy Rego; Jesse Sweeney, Dorades navigator and a member of the Camper Emirates Team New Zealands meteorology team for the Volvo Ocean Race; and Jamie Hilton, a two-time 12 Meter World and North American Champion, who also was a member of Brookss team when it won the 2011 Six Meter World Cup.

“Saint-Barth is a legendary destination and a beautiful place to sail, and we are expecting greatwind, great camaraderie among the competitors, and a good test of the new and improved Dorade,” said Brooks.

Another remarkable yacht that will be seen in Saint-Barth is the 35.2m Hoek 115 superyacht Firefly, the recently launched prototype for the new one-design F Class. The superyacht was designed to hold her own against larger (130/39.7 metre) J Class yachts and sports some similarities such as a towering rig and long bow and stern overhangs to those massive yachts, which were built in the 1930s and have experienced a rebirth.

Sailing yacht Rambler 100 Credit: Christophe Jouany/Les Voiles de Saint Barth

According to her designers, the sailing yacht Firefly is a perfect mix of classic lines and retro-design details, optimizing her for the Spirit of Tradition classes hosted by some regattas, but at Les Voiles de Saint-Barth she will depend on her high-performance racing characteristics to prevail against eight other yachts thus far signed up in Maxi class (yachts 75 feet/22.86 metres and longer).

The concept is to have a beautiful, classic-looking boat with a modern underbody, using the latest technologies in deck gear and rigging solely for use as a racing boat and/or daysailer, said Mark van Gelderen, who supervised Fireflys nine-month building process and has been the captain since she splashed in June of 2011. Having headed straight to the Med to compete in a handful of maxi events, Firefly was further optimized to improve performance before heading to the Caribbean.

“We have a relatively young crew combined of professional sailors, very good amateurs and friends of the owner,” added van Gelderen, who will be skippering and driving together with the owner. “Within the crew we have Olympic, Volvo Ocean Race, big boat and dinghy experienced sailors a great combination of very motivated guys!”

34m Swan charter yacht Highland Breeze Credit: Christophe Jouany/Les Voiles de Saint-Barth

Van Gelderen also explained that Saint-Barth will offer a great place for guests and crew to be entertained when not participating in racing. There are beaches, great restaurants, shopping and peace and tranquility, all within close proximity, van Gelderen said. Its the perfect combination.

While three other Maxi Class boats – the 112’/34m Baltic sailing yacht Nilaya, the 112’/34m Swan charter yacht Highland Breeze, and the 115/35m Farr charter yacht Sojana – are nicely matched size-wise to Firefly, no one is quite sure how they or five smaller Maxis in the class are going to compare speed-wise. Certainly all eyes will be on the 90′ (27.4m) Reichel/Pugh sailing yacht Rambler, which won the inaugural Les Voiles de Saint-Barth and has been brought out of retirement by its owner George David (Hartford, Conn.) after its successor, Rambler 100 (which won last years Les Voiles de Saint-Barth with David steering) lost its keel and capsized in the 2011 Fastnet.

These races invariably start a mile or two off Gustavia (the main harbor and capital of Saint-Barth), which means in any kind of a northeasterly trade it is a shifty first leg to a weather mark just outside the harbor, said David, who most recently finished second overall and second in class with Rambler at the 2012 RORC Caribbean 600. Then there are a couple of miles reaching either way across the south side of the island, so its a parade after that first weather mark, and you dont want to get there second. Our ride last year Rambler 100 got us there first every time with boat lengths to spare. It wont be so easy in the 90 footer.

David noted that 15 of Ramblers crew sailing in the Les Voiles de Saint-Barth were present at the now-famous Fastnet incident, and a majority of them have sailed in the last two runnings of this regatta.

In addition to the Classic and Maxi classes at Les Voiles de Saint-Barth, there will also be a Racing Class with divisions for Spinnaker, Non-Spinnaker, 52-Footers, and Multihulls. Other notable entries include the Tripp 75 yacht Blackbird, the Carkeek 40 yacht Decision, the X 65 yacht Karuba 5, and the Irens 63 trimaran Paradox.

With a Tuesday (April 3) through Saturday (April 7) schedule that includes four days of intense racing and a lay day on Thursday (April 5), the regatta kicks off on Monday, April 2, with opening ceremonies and cocktails at the festive Race Village on the Quai General de Gaulle overlooking Gustavia Harbor, where the event is headquartered. Lay day events planned for Nikki Beach include lunch and a surprise sporting challenge for all crews. Evening activities include off-site parties as well as post-racing bands and entertainment in the Race Village.

3rd Les Voiles des St.Barth Yacht Race´s Official Poster Credit: Antoine Heckly

Official Poster
Organizers unveiled the official limited edition Les Voiles de Saint-Barth 2012 poster by well-known Saint-Barth artist Antoine Heckly. Only 300 posters will be printed, with the original artwork to be auctioned off duringthecrewparty – hosted by the real estate agency, Sibarth – at Shell Beach on Wednesday, April 4. Proceeds from this auction will be donated to FEMUR (Foundation for Emergency Medical Equipment) to fund the purchase of a CT scanner to be installed in the new Radiation Center in the island’s Hospital de Bruyn.